Carton



H. T. PRATT Dec. 6, 1932.

CARTON s Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 15. 1929 Invert/for #:NEY TPEAT'T f lve MM H. T. PRATT CARTON Filed May 13. 1929 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 liv'rocmsr-J Dec. 6", 1932.

H. T. PRATT CARTON Filed May 13. 1929 fie]! :5 sheets-sheet s 3$ #ENEY TPEATT 3%, 0 M MM ATTa NEYS' HENRY '1'. 2mm,

Patented Dec. 6, 1932 UNITED A STATES PATENT OFFICE IINN'ESOTA CARTON Application filed May 18, 1929. Serial No. 362,701.

This invention relates to an improved carton having means for retainlng an article therein, in a manner to cause the article to be spaced from the side walls of the carton.

An object of the invention is to provide a carton constructed of a piece of sheet material having a plurality of flaps adapted to be folded to form a closure therefor, and said flaps having tabs adapted to cooperate to provide a means for centrally supporting an article within the carton so that the article will be spaced from the upright walls of the carton, said tabs also providing means for retaining the flaps in closed position.

A further object is to provide a collapsible carton particularly adapted to receive an article having a central aperture therethrough, such as a roll of tape, and the carton having means adapted to be received in said aperture,

whereby the article will be held against relative movement within the carton.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings, there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is to be understood that the invention is not confined to the exact features shown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawings;

Figure 1 is a plan view showing the carton blank before folding;

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the carton partially folded to illustrate the manner of supporting the article within the carton;

Figure 3 is a view showing two of the flaps folded;

Figure 4. folded;

Figure 5 is a plan view of the carton showing the four flaps folded to provide a closure therefor;

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view on the line 66 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Figure 5;

is a view showing three flaps ported from the center,

Figure 8 is a sectional plan view on the line 88 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a perspective View showing a modified form of carton;

Figure 10 is a view showing the tubular article-supporting member removed from the carton shown in Figure 9; and

Figure 11 is a View illustrating the shape of the blank from which the carton shown in Figure 9 is folded.

The novel carton featured in this invention is particularly adapted for use to support an article having a central aperture therein. There are certain kinds of material as, for example, a tape, commonly known as masking tape, which is well known to the painters trade, and is commonly used in the operation of striping automobile bodies. This particular tape is made from a composition of rubber and other materials, and it has the characteristic ofadhering to a smooth polished surface, when applied thereto. The nature of the material is also such that it may readily be removed from such a surface without marring the finish. This tape is usually wound on a hollow core so that it may be supit being objectionable to support the roll of tape upon one edge, because of the tendency of the material to set and harden when pressure is applied against the surface of the tape. The carton featured in this invention is provided with means for supporting an article having a central aperture therein, such as the roll of tape above described, whereby the tape will be spaced from the upright walls of the carton, when positioned therein, and the carton flaps are closed.

Figure 1 shows the general configuration of the blank from which the carton is formed. This blank is stamped from a suitable sheet material, such as cardboard, and comprises flaps 22 and 3-3, integrally formed with the body portion 4 thereof, which, in this instance, will be referred to as the bottom of the carton. The upright walls of the carton are indicated by the areas 55, defined by score lines 7 8, and 9, and the areas 66, defined by the score lines 12, 13, and 14.

Each flap 2 is provided with tabs 15 sepa- OF'MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOB .TO THE B. I. NELSON I rated by a V-shaped slot, having-its inner portion terminating in a slit 17, the inner portion of which is slitted as indicated at 18. Score lines 19 are provided between the tabs 15 and flaps 2 so that the tabs may be bent at right angles to the flaps 2, as shown in Figure 2.

Each flap 3 has a centrally located tab 21, adapted to be bent at. right angles with reference to the flap, along the dotted line 22. If desired. the material may be scored along the dotted line 22 to facilitate bending. The side wall portions 5 are each provided with extensions 23, as shown in Figure 1.

To pack the article in the carton, the articie 2-l,'which is here shown as consisting of a roll of tape wound upon a hollow core 25, is placed on the bottom 4 of the carton, as shown in Figure 1. The flaps 2 are then folded along the score lines 7 and 8 to the positions shown in Figures 2 and 3, with the tabs 15 inserted in the hollow core 25 of the article, as best shown in Figure 2. The extensions 23 of the side walls 5 are then folded inwardly at sub- I stantially right angles to the walls 5, after which the flaps 3 are folded upwardly and over the flaps 2, thereby forming the side walls 6, the material bending along the score lines 12 and 13. The tabs 21 are then bent with respect to the flaps 3, along the score lines 22, and are inserted through the slits 17 provided in the flaps 2, as shown in Figure 7. Because of the presence of the slits 18 in the flaps 2, a portion of the material of the flaps 2 will bend slightly downwardly, as indicated at 26 in Figure 7, when the tabs 21 are pressed downwardly through the slits 17 into the carton, to the position shown in Figure 7. The V-shaped slots 16 provide clearance for the tabs 21, when inserted thru the slits 17 in the flaps 2, so as to avoid spreading the tabs 15 of each flap 2, when the tabs 21 are inserted in the carton.

When the carton blank has been folded as above described, the portions 5 and 6 will constitute the upright walls of the cart-on, and the flaps 2 and 3 will provide a. closure therefor. The tabs 15 and 21 in addition to providing a means for centrally supporting the article within the carton, also provides means for retaining the flaps in closed position, because of their frictional engagement with each other. Thedistance between the edges 27 of the flaps 15 is substantially equal to the diameter of the hollow core 25, upon which the tape is wound and in like manner, the width of the tabs 21 is substantially equal to the diameter of the hollow core 25, as shown in Figure 8. When the roll of tape is mounted upon the supporting tabs 15 and 21, as shown in Figure 8, it will be noted that the periphery of the roll will be spaced from the" side walls 5 and 6 of the carton. It will thus be seen that when the closed carton is supported upon one edge, the article Will be supported wholly upon the tabs 15 and 21, thereby preventing the surface of the tape from contacting with the side walls of the carton.

The novel carton herein shown and described is preferably constructed of a suitable card board material and, because of the particular manner of folding and retaining the flaps 2 and 3 in closed position, the use of an adhesive for securing together the walls and flaps of the carton may be dispensed with, thereby reducing the cost of manufacture. In the drawings, I have shown the carton as adapted for supporting a roll of tape, but it is to be understood that it may be used for supporting various other articles which may be provided with a central aperture adapted to receive the tabs 15 and 21, when the carton is folded to its closed position, as shown in Figure 7.

Figure 9 illustrates a carton of modified form, adapted to contain a. plurality of articles or rolls of tape 24, supported upon a tubular member 28. adapted to be demountably supported within the carton, as shown. The cartonhere shown, is'formed from a blank shaped as shown in Figure 11, which comprises upright wall portions 29, 31, 32, and 33, separated by suitable score lines 34;. The wall portion 29 has a marginal portion 35 adapted to be suitably secured to the marginal edge of the wall portion 33 to retain the upright walls of the carton in operative positions. The marginal portion 35 is adapted to be bent along the score line 37.

In the form here shown, the two ends of the carton are similar in construction. The wall portions 29 and 32 are provided at each end with flaps 38, provided with tabs 15, similar -to those'shown in the previous figures, and the wall portions 31 and 33 are provided with flaps 39, having integral tabs 21 adapted to be bent alongthe score lines 22 ina manner similar to that shown and described with reference to the other figures.

In folding the carton shown in Figure 9,

the upright wall portions 29 to 33 are bent upon the member 28, as shown in Figure 9, I

after which the upper flaps 38 and 39 are folded to closed positions, as shown and described with reference to the previous figures, the tabs 15 and 21 being inserted into the u per end of the member 28, as shown, there y retaining the member in fixed position within the walls of the carton, so as to prevent the surfaces of the rolls of tape supported thereon from engaging the upright walls of the carton.

I claim as my invention:

1. A carton blank comprising a portion adapted to form the bottom wall of the carton, side wall portions attached to said bottom wall portion and adapted to be bent upwardly to form the side walls of the carton, a flap on each side wall portion adapted to be folded inwardly over the bottom and c0- operating to provide a closure for the carton, tabs centrally located on oppositely disposed flaps adapted to be bent downwardly and traversing the interior of the carton, each of said tabs having a slit therein, extending through the tabs and into their supporting flaps, and tabs on the other flaps adapted to be inserted through said slits and be retained therein by frictional engagement with the walls of the slits, all of said tabs traversing the interior of the carton and cooperating to provide a central support for an article within the carton, whereby the article may be spaced from the side walls of the carton.

2. A carton comprising a bottom portion and a plurality of flaps adapted to be folded to provide a closure for the carton, twoof said flaps having slits therein which slits are alined when said flaps are folded into closing position, and the other flaps having tabs adapted to be inserted through said slits and into the carton, whereby the walls of said slits will wedgingly engage said tabs and secure them in closed position.

3. A carton comprising a bottom portion and a plurality of flaps adapted to be folded inwardly over said bottom to provide the side walls and a closure for the carton, two of said flaps having slits therein which slits are alined when said flaps are folded, tabs on the other flaps adapted to be inserted through said slits to complete the closing of the carton, and means whereby portions of the walls of said slitted flaps adjacent to said slits, may be depressed to cause the walls of the slits to wcdgingly engage said tabs and thereby secure them in closed position.

4. A carton comprisin a bottom portion having outwardly projecting portions adaptcd to be bent to provide the side walls of the carton, a flap on each side wall portion adapted to be folded inwardly over the bottom and cooperating to provide a closure for the carton, a tab on each fia two of said tabs each having a notch whic notches terminate in slits extending into their respective flaps, and the other two tabs being adapted to be inserted through said slits and into the carton whereby the walls of said slits will wedgingly engage said tabs and secure them in closed position.

5. A carton comprising a bottom portion having outwardly projecting portions adapted to be bent to provide the side walls of the carton, a flap on each side wall portion adapted to be folded inwardly over the bottom and cooperating to provide a closure for the carton, a tab on each flap, two of said tabs each having a notch in an edge thereof which notches terminate in slits extending into their respective flaps, and the other two tabs being adapted to be inserted through said slits and into the carton whereby the walls of said slits will wedgingly engage said tabs and secure them in closed position, said tabs being disposed in right angular relation to provide means for supporting an article substantially in the center of the carton.

6. A carton comprising a bottom portion and a plurality of flaps adapted to be folded to provide a closure, certain of said flaps having slits therein, and other flaps having tabs adapted to be inserted through said slits whereby they will project into the carton, and the walls of said slits being adapted to wedgingly engage said tabs and secure them in closed position.

7. A carton comprising a plurality of upright walls having flaps adapted to be folded to provide a closure, certain of said flaps having slits therein which slits are alined when the flaps are folded into closing position, and other flaps having tabs adapted to be inserted through said slits and into the carton whereby the walls of said slits will wedgingly engage said tabs and secure them in closed positions, and means within the carton for supporting an article with the walls of the article spaced from the upright walls of the carton.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of May, 1929.

HENRY T. PRATT. 

